Transit bail granted to PTI leaders

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Wednesday granted transit bail to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Secretary General Salman Akram Raja, Members National Assembly Amjad Ali and Shahid Khattak, and Fatahullah Advocate, directing them to appear before the relevant courts.

A single bench headed by Chief Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim heard the petitions filed by Salman Akram Raja and other PTI leaders seeking transit bail. During the hearing, Salman Akram Raja informed the court that he was affiliated with the opposition party and that multiple cases were registered against him following a protest at Islamabad’s D-Chowk.

He feared that he might be arrested before appearing in court, requesting transit bail to allow him to appear before the relevant forums. He said that he was unaware of the exact number of the FIRs registered against him.

After hearing the arguments, the court granted transit bail to Salman Akram Raja until January 3.

Similarly, the bench approved the transit bail requests of MNAs Amjad Ali and Shahid Khattak, and Fatahullah, directing them to appear before the respective courts by December 31.

In a related hearing, a two-member bench comprising Justice Sahibzada Asadullah and Justice Wiqar Ahmad also heard a protective bail petition filed by Salman Akram Raja.

The petitioner’s lawyer, Alam Khan Adenzai, informed the court that eight FIRs had been registered against Raja, for which transit bail had already been obtained. However, he added that more FIRs might exist, as the exact number was unclear. The court granted Raja a one-month protective bail.

Meanwhile, talking to the media after court proceedings, Salman Akram Raja maintained that the fight was not just for the PTI but for the entire nation. “We are battling for the supremacy of the Constitution and the rule of law,” he said. Raja criticized the judicial system’s alleged misuse for political purposes.

“Those arrested on November 26 are now being implicated in cases related to May 9,” he claimed, adding the government was trying to link the incarcerated PTI founder with General (retd) Faiz Hameed. “We have ex-prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s example before us. We have to follow the law and Constitution to put an end to the uncertain situation,” he added.